Halloween Horror Nights 31 (UOR) - Tips & Tricks

[Skipper Justin]

I'm really having a hard time deciding on buying Frequent Fear with or without Express this year. Any thoughts on expected crowd levels this year? I was there last year on the last two weeks of October and they where very busy with several sold out nights. But this year I'm going on the last week of September and first 2 weeks of October, maybe it's less busy then the last two weeks of October? But then international visitors weren't allowed into the US during HHN so I don't know if this year will be much busier. Any thoughts would be appeciated. I could do Stay and Scream since I have an AP.

Been going consistently for 13 years. This is year three of upgrading to express. It’s very very worth it. So much less hectic and don’t miss waiting in those crazy lines for most of the event. Can’t go back!

 

[HHN Yeti Lover]

Do annual passholders get a discount on frequent fear passes?

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Do annual passholders get a discount on frequent fear passes?

Nope, stopped last year.

 

[erider]

I did end up buying the Frequent Fear with Express pass. Probably will have to cut back on some other costs now (food, cheaper hotel) but it’s at least reassuring I don’t have to deal with extremely long lines now.

 

[Rikku]

This will be our one year wedding anniversary on our HHN trip. We got married at Royal Pacific last year! Amazing time and couldn't be more happy with it. We did RIP tour with our wedding party last year, AWESOME experience. However this year just us and plan to do regular nights with Express is there any other special occasion things we could do or ask for (obviously assuming to pay) at HHN specifically? Thanks in advance!

 

[Shinigami]

Well said, if you can knock out 3/4 of the houses by 8 you'll usually be set.

If you do it correctly without express and a bit of planing you can hit 5 houses by 8 and with express it can go up to 8. At least thats my experience the last couple of years. If I had to guess for this year it might make more sense to start in the front due to the amount of Soundstage houses but that might be risky. Otherwise I would probably hit the Weekend first then do Monsters and after that do Sprung Tents and go to Blumhouse for a fast 5 house run through which should give you a great headstart without using express even once

 

[LikeMike]

Are tickets likely to be available and same price closer to the time? I’m hoping to go again middle of October (already have a ticket for September) but won’t know until about two weeks before - has anyone had experience with this? TIA

 

[moistowlette1989]

Are tickets likely to be available and same price closer to the time? I’m hoping to go again middle of October (already have a ticket for September) but won’t know until about two weeks before - has anyone had experience with this? TIA

Tickets will likely be available, but will be higher price.

 

[SeventyOne]

Half price express starts at 11pm but you can buy it earlier.

Highly recommend this. Often sells out long before 11, and you can be standing beside the Express line of the house you're desperate to see at 10:59 to maximize its value.

That said, even regular Express sold out before the night started at least a few times last year, so I would have a back-up plan if this is they key to your must-dos.

I did end up buying the Frequent Fear with Express pass. Probably will have to cut back on some other costs now (food, cheaper hotel) but it’s at least reassuring I don’t have to deal with extremely long lines now.

If you visit to see the houses, rather than pump up your house count on social media, it really is the way to go. I can roll up at dusk, avoiding the rain or the worst of the heat, and see any house I want as it was intended, no light bleeding, no sun blindness through half the house. Like going from the nosebleeds to front row, worth the upgrade to me.

 

[IHateJumpScares]

What’s the advice for how early at the front gate if we want to catch opening scaramonies?

 

[PenguinCowboy]

What’s the advice for how early at the front gate if we want to catch opening scaramonies?

We usually get there for gatecrash/rope drop around 4:30ish on the Thursday we get into Orlando, but mainly because we always anticipate ticket issues (we pick up our HHN stuff at Will Call that same day ususally). In my experience after 5/5:15 is when the crowd really tends to gather. If you wanted to be pressed against the gates for opening, getting there by or at 5 you'd have no issue, but I've also seen it swing wildly in both directions (crowds forming by 4:45, and no crowds up until 5:30) so no real guarantee.

 

[IHateJumpScares]

We usually get there for gatecrash/rope drop around 4:30ish on the Thursday we get into Orlando, but mainly because we always anticipate ticket issues (we pick up our HHN stuff at Will Call that same day ususally). In my experience after 5/5:15 is when the crowd really tends to gather. If you wanted to be pressed against the gates for opening, getting there by or at 5 you'd have no issue, but I've also seen it swing wildly in both directions (crowds forming by 4:45, and no crowds up until 5:30) so no real guarantee.

thanks. If it matters, this would be the Sunday of opening weekend- IF it isn’t rainy. If it’s rainy then it’s back to Springfield S&S and knocking out 3/4 houses by 6:30/7!

 

[sparky]

If you do it correctly without express and a bit of planing you can hit 5 houses by 8 and with express it can go up to 8. At least thats my experience the last couple of years. If I had to guess for this year it might make more sense to start in the front due to the amount of Soundstage houses but that might be risky. Otherwise I would probably hit the Weekend first then do Monsters and after that do Sprung Tents and go to Blumhouse for a fast 5 house run through which should give you a great headstart without using express even once

We have express for sept 9/10th. Will we be able to get all the houses in, without feeling rushed?

We arrive on the 8th, but with current flight issues did not purchase express for that night. We planned to just watch shows and eat that night.

Tell me about temperature conditions inside the houses.

Do they crank up the a/c? I have a friend that wore a sweater in June at the parks.

 

[Brian G.]

We have express for sept 9/10th. Will we be able to get all the houses in, without feeling rushed?

We arrive on the 8th, but with current flight issues did not purchase express for that night. We planned to just watch shows and eat that night.

Tell me about temperature conditions inside the houses.

Do they crank up the a/c? I have a friend that wore a sweater in June at the parks.

With Express, if you pace yourself, you should be fine. You can dictate the flow of the night.

The houses are decently cold, with the soundstages being colder than others (and obv, Dead Man's Pier being a bit more colder due to the theme). If your friend wore a sweater in June (which btw... how? ) then they will probably wanna wear one in the houses.

 

[Shinigami]

We have express for sept 9/10th. Will we be able to get all the houses in, without feeling rushed?

We arrive on the 8th, but with current flight issues did not purchase express for that night. We planned to just watch shows and eat that night.

Tell me about temperature conditions inside the houses.

Do they crank up the a/c? I have a friend that wore a sweater in June at the parks.

Yeah you should have no problem doing all the houses and if you do Stay and Scream you can already be done by 8:30pm if you rush. Otherwise I normally finish around 10pm. If you don't want to rush anything and you are there for 3 nights with 2 express nights you can just do a couple houses on the first night and then take your time with the other houses while you have express. For houses I can recommend to maybe pack a light zip hoodie or sth similar since some of the soundstage houses can get very cold (especially for a house like DMP which is supposed to be the cold house of the year

 

[DeliciousOatmeal]

Does anybody know what the cutoff time is for entering Stay & Scream?

Last year was my first time visiting Orlando and I was really eager to be through the houses as soon as possible, so we headed to Springfield as early as we could. I realized that night that with Express, we really didn’t need to worry about rushing, so this year I would like to slow things down and enjoy my time more. I have a daytime ticket so I’ll be in the park already, and I don’t really care to do any of the houses until the sun goes down a bit. I would rather hang out and do some rides while the lines are short early in the night. I would like to hold off on entering a Stay & Scream area for as long as possible without missing the window to enter and having to leave and re-enter the park. What time do they usually stop letting people in? Also, in case I miss my chance, how long is the line at the front gate around opening? I’ve waited 1hr+ in Hollywood the one year I made the mistake of showing up at opening (if you’re on time, you’re late).

 

[Brian G.]

Does anybody know what the cutoff time is for entering Stay & Scream?

Last year was my first time visiting Orlando and I was really eager to be through the houses as soon as possible, so we headed to Springfield as early as we could. I realized that night that with Express, we really didn’t need to worry about rushing, so this year I would like to slow things down and enjoy my time more. I have a daytime ticket so I’ll be in the park already, and I don’t really care to do any of the houses until the sun goes down a bit. I would rather hang out and do some rides while the lines are short early in the night. I would like to hold off on entering a Stay & Scream area for as long as possible without missing the window to enter and having to leave and re-enter the park. What time do they usually stop letting people in? Also, in case I miss my chance, how long is the line at the front gate around opening? I’ve waited 1hr+ in Hollywood the one year I made the mistake of showing up at opening (if you’re on time, you’re late).

Need to be in the park by 5pm.

 

[Clive]

Does anybody know what the cutoff time is for entering Stay & Scream?

Last year was my first time visiting Orlando and I was really eager to be through the houses as soon as possible, so we headed to Springfield as early as we could. I realized that night that with Express, we really didn’t need to worry about rushing, so this year I would like to slow things down and enjoy my time more. I have a daytime ticket so I’ll be in the park already, and I don’t really care to do any of the houses until the sun goes down a bit. I would rather hang out and do some rides while the lines are short early in the night. I would like to hold off on entering a Stay & Scream area for as long as possible without missing the window to enter and having to leave and re-enter the park. What time do they usually stop letting people in? Also, in case I miss my chance, how long is the line at the front gate around opening? I’ve waited 1hr+ in Hollywood the one year I made the mistake of showing up at opening (if you’re on time, you’re late).

As long as you’re in the park before closing time, you’ll be able to access one of the Stay and Scream areas if you have a valid HHN ticket. You may be directed to the nearest holding area if you’re coming off a ride long after closing and they’re trying to complete their sweep. (For example, if you go do ET right at closing and you’re off the ride at 5:15, you’ll probably need to go to Springfield, not New York.)

 

[sparky]

Yeah you should have no problem doing all the houses and if you do Stay and Scream you can already be done by 8:30pm if you rush. Otherwise I normally finish around 10pm. If you don't want to rush anything and you are there for 3 nights with 2 express nights you can just do a couple houses on the first night and then take your time with the other houses while you have express. For houses I can recommend to maybe pack a light zip hoodie or sth similar since some of the soundstage houses can get very cold (especially for a house like DMP which is supposed to be the cold house of the year

Thanks, i didnt get express for Thursday because I simply dont trust the airlines to get us there. We are both scheduled to land at noon from our respective parts of Texas. Last flight in May was delayed 4 hours.

 

[sparky]

With Express, if you pace yourself, you should be fine. You can dictate the flow of the night.

The houses are decently cold, with the soundstages being colder than others (and obv, Dead Man's Pier being a bit more colder due to the theme). If your friend wore a sweater in June (which btw... how? ) then they will probably wanna wear one in the houses.

Thank you, she is oddly cold while also being a blast furnace sharing a bed with her.
Next question. The stay and scare option. Does it sell out?